White House Sponsoring National Call Day to Support Gun Legislation

Because of the unfortunate events in Boston, today's National Call Day has been postponed.

As the Senate prepares to discuss and vote on gun control this week, the White House is asking you to get involved and make your voice heard.

On April 16, the White House is sponsoring a National Call Day encouraging citizens to contact their senators to show their support for new gun legislation.

Despite the President's push to get the proposal passed, some lawmakers are unsure if the Senate will gather enough support.

"It's an open question whether we have the votes," said Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia, reports the Chicago Tribune. "I think it's going to be close." Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania are partnering on the bill that could bring change to the way guns are purchased in America. The proposed law would expand background checks for gun buyers at stores, gun shows and online—blocking criminals and the mentally ill from making purchases.

Former presidential candidate Senator John McCain of Arizona is behind the bill. "I am very favorably disposed toward that. Eighty percent of the American people want to see a better background check procedure."

Potential 2016 presidential candidate and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is opposed to the bill. "Gun laws are highly ineffective in terms of protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens to possess weapons, which is a Second Amendment guarantee, (and) keeping the guns out of the hands of the criminal," said Rubio on Meet the Press.

President Obama is working hard to get the Senate to pass the bill. In fact, he turned over his weekly address to grieving Newtown mother Francine Wheeler who urged lawmakers to pass the proposal. According to USA Today, she asked Americans to "convince the Senate to come together and pass commonsense gun responsibility reform that will make our communities safer and prevent more tragedies like the one we never thought would happen to us."